1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of poly-vinyl chloride “PVC” pipes and couplings and the ability of users to quickly determine the type of PVC pipes and PVC couplings from a glance without using tools to measure the diameters of the PVC pipes and PVC couplings.
2. Description of Related Art
Pipes and couplings for pipes are typically not marked in a way that plumbers and users can readily glance at the fittings and the pipes to determine the size, composition, and configuration of the fittings and pipes used. Some pipes are color coded as to their composition or schedule. Some example include: coppered colored copper pipe; grey schedule 80 PVC; black acylonitrile-butadiene-styrene “ABS” pipe; and light blue polybutylene “PB” pipes. While having pipes color coded as to composition helps users determine the composition, there is no easy way for users of pipes to quickly and easily select proper fittings from merely looking at the pipes and fittings.
When a user is ready to assembly a pipe to a fitting they select the pipe based upon the requirements of the installation and then select the fittings to attach the pipe as needed. To insure that the selected fittings are the proper fittings and matched to the selected pipe, the fittings must be measured and compared to the measurements of the pipe. Alternatively, the user test fits the fittings on the pipes to check the fit. If the needed fitting is in a bin with other non-needed fittings then the user must repeated measure or check to find the right fitting in the bin of fittings, thereby wasting time. Currently some manufacturers color the packaging the plumbing fixtures are shipped in based on size. However, color coding packing does not help the user when the plumbing fixture is removed from the package.
Referring to FIG. 1 in the drawings, a prior art embodiment of a PVC pipe and PVC coupling according to the present application is illustrated. Plumbing system 101 is a depiction of a typical installation of PVC pipes and PVC fittings. Plumbing system 101 includes a first pipe 111, a second pipe 115, a third pipe 121, a forth pipe 125, and a fifth pipe 131. Connecting first pipe 111 to second pipe 115 is a reducing tee 135 coupled to fifth pipe 131. Connecting second pipe 115 to third pipe 121 is an elbow 141. Connecting third pipe 121 to forth pipe 125 is a reducer 145. A plumber cannot visually look at system 101 and verify that the proper sized fittings were used. This forces the plumber to measure each fitting to check compliance. Furthermore, an inspector trying to validate the work the plumber's completed cannot readily check the size of the fittings because they are glued together. The inspector could measure the outside of the fittings and compare the outer diameter to the expected outer diameter, however that method is labor intensive and potentially unreliable due to the variance in fitting construction. While there are many ways to mark plumbing fixtures well known in the art, considerable room for improvement remains.
While the assembly and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims.